TVSquad

Because you can never get enough of celebrities dancing, ABC has picked up Let's Dance, which they're calling a comedic reality show. It's based on a format that found success as part of the UK's Comic Relief programming. Rather than having celebrities commit to a full season to learn a variety of ballroom styles, a la Dancing with the Stars, this new show only requires a one-week commitment with the possibility of a "finale" return. And all they have to master is an already well-known dance.

I guess this is where the "comedy" comes in?

BBC now stands for "Bad Bad Company." At least in regards to the latest fines the BBC received from Ofcom, a record-setting £400,000 ($792,000). The infractions spread across radio and television hitting such high-profile television programs as Comic Relief and Children in Need as well as The Liz Kershaw Show and The Jo Whiley Show on the radio airwaves. Apparently it was a combination of having competitions in which the contestant has absolutely no chance of winning, and making up winners names when technical problems interfered with true results.

Not everyone is naturally funny, but some forms of humor are easier than others. I think that's why I'm always so impressed with Ricky Gervais, because the man can create some truly vicious satire with the skill of a true artisan.

I invite you to check out a video Gervais made for Comic Relief that also features Stephen Merchant, Bob Geldof, and a special surprise guest in the end. Watch as Gervais and his gang do everything they can to get more time in the limelight without much regard to the cause they're supposedly trying to support. The whole video runs a little over eight minutes, but trust me, it's worth sitting through. This is far and away funnier than anything I've ever seen Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg perform. I don't mean "perform on Comic Relief" I mean "performed anywhere, ever."

See the video after the jump.

UPDATE: In the comments, reader RazorD provides some background on Jamie Oliver, the man who appears in the video eating fast food. Thanks for the insight, RD. You're right, it makes the video that much funnier.

[via Popwatch]

Last week's Comic Relief telethon raised $4 million for victims of Hurricane Katrina. It aired simultaneously on TBS, HBO and AOL. Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal headlined the Comic Relief telecasts of the 1980s to raise money and awareness about homelessness. The original Comic Relief stage shows raised about $50 million.

Did anybody watch Comic Relief on November 18th? I caught a little bit of it but had to turn it off because A) Robin Williams is no longer funny, and B) Dane Cook isn't funny either. I was actually more interested in the on-location stories about the current situation in New Orleans than the performances by a long list of guest comedians.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien's resident funny dog Triumph was inducted into the Las Vegas Police Department's K-9 Unit at this week's Las Vegas Comedy Festival. The cigar-chomping insult comedian accepted the honor with gratitude, "This is really an honor for me because my brother was a bomb-sniffing dog. In fact, that's how he was able to find Ben Affleck's last three movies." Fortunately, Triumph refrained from sniffing any of his K-9 colleagues' butts and, as of yet, has not pooped on any unsuspecting officers.

The week-long comedy festival was sponsored by HBO and AEG. Most of the performances were taped for later broadcast on TBS including the Jim Henson Company's improv performance Puppet Up! and Comic Relief 2006. The festival also played host to Dave Chappelle's latest no-show.

Why in the hell did a comedy competition that started on October 11 get posted on Turner Network's press page just today? That's twelve kinds of messed up, that's what that is, Maynard. Well anyway, TBS and MySpace have this online challenge going where they're asking unknown comedians to submit videos to the "Stand Up Or Sit Down Comedy Challenge" through the competition's MySpace page. Right now you can vote on the fifteen comics who remains, and the top five will appear on TBS, November 17 at 10 pm, in a special hosted by George Lopez. The following night, during TBS's simulcast of Comic Relief, a winner will be announced and given a development deal plus $50,000.

Speaking of Comic Relief, is anyone looking forward to it? I have to say, the comedy powers of Williams, Goldberg and Crystal just don't quite work on me like they did when I was much younger and couldn't change the channel because the knob was broken and the vice grips my father placed on the TV were too cumbersome for me to get a hold of.

(S02E05) I always refer to this episode as "the one where Tim and Gareth kiss" or "the one where Tim and Dawn kiss". However, everyone else does a lot of "um"-ing and "uh"-ing until I mention David's infamous dance. Yes, yes. It's "the one where David dances", but, gosh, so much more happens. All the events in this episode prepare us for the season finale, when feelings are sure to be hurt, hearts are sure to be broken, and fools are sure to be... uh... made... out of.

Comic Relief launched 20 years ago to raise awareness and funds for the homeless. It went off the air eight years ago but, according to The Hollywood Reporter, it is making a comeback this year to benefit the still-suffering victims of Hurricane Katrina. Traditional Comic Relief headliners Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal plan to lighten the mood during a benefit performance that will broadcast simultaneously on TBS, HBO and AOL on November 18th. Previous performances raised $50 million for the homeless cause. This time, the benefactors of the fundraising will be children and animals.